Springfield manager Mike Shildt wouldn't put an exact target date on it, but he did sound optimistic this weekend that prospect shortstop Aledmys Diaz is nearing a return to Springfield. Diaz was disabled April 29 because of a shoulder strain, a setback that came about six weeks after the Cuban defector signed a four-year deal reportedly worth $8 million. He was batting .307.

Ramsey resting

Cardinals outfielder James Ramsey, sore from a crash into the outfield wall Friday, and left-handed batter Cody Stanley, who owns a league-best .324 average, where held out of the lineup. Ramsey, a .305 hitter, acknowledged he is progressing quickly. Former South Carolina standout Michael Roth, a left-hander, allowed one run in seven innings as he kept the Cardinals off-balance by pitching inside to right-handers and then throwing slow and away.

Wellman ejected

Sunday's game drew 3,946, but none saw former Springfield hitting coach and current Arkansas manager Phillip Wellman go on a military-esque, rosin bag-throwing tirade after being ejected in the fifth inning. Wellman, whose 2008 ejection as the Double-A Mississippi Braves manager became a YouTube must-see, got plate umpire Mike Cascioppo's heave-ho after arguing a safe ruling on Rafael Ortega on a close play at the plate.

Hold up, there

Shildt held up David Popkins at third base on Patrick Wisdom's two-out double to the right field corner in the sixth, later explaining that he feared Popkins getting thrown out at the plate and that he hoped an Ortega hit would pull the game within 5-3. The relay man gloved the throw just as Popkins reached the bag.